As Missouri’s legislature prepares to take on the issue of Medicaid expansion, we explore the potential benefits and drawbacks, and learn how it could impact people across the state.

Panelists:
Karen Edison, dermatologist and director of the University of Missouri Center for Health Policy
Rep. Keith Frederick, R-Rolla, chair of the Missouri House of Representatives Health Care Policy Committee and an orthopedic surgeon

Among the many proposals outlined in Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State address last week, his proposed budget includes a $17 million increase in funding for early childhood education programs. We look into what the early-childhood needs are, what kind of impact state-funded programs might have, and how far the additional funding would go.

Scheduled panelists:
Steve Calloway, president, Minority Men’s Network
Jack Jensen, executive director, First Chance for Children
Mernell King, early childhood programs director, Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA)

Immediately following Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's annual State of the State address, we brought together panelists inside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City to provide a first round of analysis. Together we go through the governor's main points and discuss the specific proposals, which include a significant expansion of Medicaid in Missouri, increased funding for education at all levels, consolidation within the Department of Natural Resources, and the elimination of some of the state's 61 different tax credit programs.

Panelists:
Phill Brooks, director of Missouri Digital News and statehouse correspondent for KMOX
Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, 45th District
Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California, 50th District

The Columbia Public School district is in the midst of deciding new start times for the district's elementary, middle and high schools. We discuss the options on the table and explore how the changes could affect parents, students and teachers.

Panelists:
Christine King, vice president, Columbia Board of Education
Mark Maus, principal, Rock Bridge High School

As the Columbia City Council considers a halt on downtown demolitions, we explore the factors that are leading to the recent spate of new development, and take a look at the future of Columbia’s downtown area.

Panelists:
Brent Gardner, chairman of the Downtown Columbia Leadership Council and member of the historic preservation commission
Barbara Hoppe, Columbia City Council representative for the sixth ward
Craig van Matre, attorney representing several developers including the Odles, who built the Brookside student housing complexes in downtown Columbia
Brandt Stiles, director of development for Collegiate Housing Partners, a St. Louis-based group seeking to build student housing on the Niedermeyer site in downtown Columbia (joining by phone)

As the year comes to a close, we recap some of the stories that made headlines over the past 12 months, and take a look ahead into what 2013 might bring.

Panelists:
Scott Swafford, senior city editor, Columbia Missourian
Lora Wegman, city editor, Columbia Daily Tribune
David Lieb, correspondent, The Associated Press
 (joining by phone)

A two-part program hosted by KBIA's Rehman Tungekar:
FIRST HALF OF PROGRAM: The tragedy in Connecticut has brought renewed focus on school safety, both locally, and across the nation. We learn how a training program that deals with responding to an armed intruder is being used in Columbia Public Schools.
SECOND HALF OF PROGRAM: According to a recent poll, the number of Missourians opposing the Affordable Care Act has dropped in the last two years. Despite this, many folks still might not know what’s in the nearly 1,000-page law. We talk about the federal health care law and find out how it affects everyday Missourians.

Panelists:
Michelle Baumstark, spokesperson, Columbia Public Schools
Greg Crane, coordinator of ALiCE training for schools and campuses (joining by phone)

Thomas McAuliffe, policy analyst for the Missouri Foundation for Health
Andrew Quint, medical director, Family Health Center in Columbia
Mary Timmel, outreach manager at Small Business Majority (joining by phone)

We bring together three freshly elected state representatives from mid-Missouri to explain their legislative priorities and to discuss what we might expect from the state legislature in the coming year.

Panelists:
Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, state Rep.-elect, 45th District
Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, state Rep.-elect, 46th District
John Wright, D-Rocheport, state Rep.-elect, 47th District

With the presidential election finally upon us, we take a look at efforts to get out the vote. How does voter turnout nowadays compare with previous elections? How do American voting habits differ from those in other countries? What does it take to get more people to go to the polls? And does it really matter how many people actually cast ballots?

Panelists:
John Petrocik, professor and chair of the political science department, University of Missouri
Terry Smith, executive vice president and dean of academic affairs, Columbia College
Marvin Stemmons, head of the Swagg the Vote campaign in Columbia

With the elections just around the corner, our panel of political journalists help bring you up to speed on key local and state races that affect mid-Missouri, including several statewide proposals on the ballot this year.

Panelists:
Elizabeth Crisp, reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Ryan Famuliner, assistant news director, KBIA
Phill Brooks, director of Missouri Digital News and reporter for KMOX (joining by phone)